Glass of Sherry
Today was the November West Ashley Artisans and Crafters Fair at Citadel Mall. It’s always a lot of fun to see all of the talent and creativity our locals have! There were vendors with scenes in bottles, baked goods, bath and body products, candles, wreaths, toys, holiday items, jewelry and many more that I didn’t get a chance to see (I was solo manning my booth). I’m looking forward to the next fair – December 10th from 11am-4pm at Citadel Mall. Hope to see you there!
I am frequently asked about creating custom windows for people. Unfortunately, due to the difficulty in obtaining glass in my area, I am unable to honor requests for custom pieces the vast majority of the time. Choosing art glass is very specific to the particular sheet / run of glass, so ordering it sight unseen can be disappointing. I have a limited amount of glass only in a limited number of colors, and ordering / traveling to get the right glass is cost prohibitive. I’m still willing to discuss custom work with people, but it is very likely that I won’t have the necessary materials easily available to complete many custom jobs.
This year I won’t be participating in the market at the convention center. Instead, I will be at two smaller events at Citadel Mall. Details: November 19th fair/Christmas tree lighting and December 10th Santa’s Workshop fair. Each fair is 11:00am-4:00pm near the food court at Citadel Mall. Please stop by! I will have some special holiday themed smaller decorations / Swarovski and bead jewelry in addition to my usual glass and resin items.
At the November 19th event there will be a lighting of the community Christmas tree with our elected officials at 6:00pm and Holiday music throughout the day by our High School and Middle School Choirs. Some vendors will stay open past 4pm for the day long festivities!
The December 10th fair theme is Santa’s Workshop.
I had a great time at my first ever West Ashley Artisans and Crafters Fair May 14th. I had an awesome spot right by the food court entrance and closest to the free glitter tattoo lady (perfect for when the little ones wanted to touch something fragile, “Look! Free glitter tattoos!”). It was a pretty good crowd for a random weekend in May. I think I’ll try to do it whenever I can (it’s every 2nd Saturday). I can’t make it in July due to a previous commitment, but I plan to be there on June 11th!
Look what you can bid on at the W. Brian Moody Foundation Golf Tournament / Auction / Raffle Fundraising event in 2022!
Mosaic in a recycled window. Crafted with Spectrum Iridized blue stained glass and Dichroic glass coated in resin. 30.5″ w by 27″ h. – $800.
TLDR: I won’t have a booth at the Charleston Holiday Market in 2022.
This was only my second time participating as a vendor in the Holiday Market at the N. Charleston Convention Center, though I was a customer for several years before that. It was cancelled due to COVID-19 last year. I know the world is only just beginning to emerge from the pandemic (maybe a bit too soon?), so that might explain why this year’s market was a bit of a disappointment. There were nowhere near as many vendors or patrons as usual. Unfortunately, the show organizers allowed a lot of mass market vendors in, which really lowers the interest for a show that you pay admission to attend (as a patron). My booth was across from a gel ice/heat pack product and another booth with shoe insoles. Not that those products aren’t useful, but my pieces just don’t mix with the type of product that you normally buy at the pharmacy. Nor would I want to pay $8 admission to view products that I can buy at the pharmacy. On top of that, the booth fees went way up for next year for vendors.
Other than that, the show was well organized and the new parking garage makes logistics so much nicer. I hope that the show can improve once the pandemic eases. I will re-assess after next year. In the mean time, there are several new City of Charleston related vendor shows that have started, so I will look into these opportunities and see if I can find one or two that is a better fit for crafts vendors. Stay tuned!
The Charleston Holiday Market is less than two weeks away! I’m looking forward to having a booth there for the second time (the event was cancelled due to COVID last year). It will be held within the Convention Center at the N. Charleston Coliseum Complex. Hours will be:
Fri 10am – 8pm ~ Sat 10am-6pm ~ Sun 11am- 5pm
Enjoy All Three Days with FREE Return Pass!
Adult tickets through 11:59pm, Nov. 18 Online – $6 (+fee and tax)
Adult tickets Nov. 19-21 Online – $7 (+fee and tax)
Adult tickets at door – $8 (+fee and tax if paying with credit card)
www.HolidayMarket.com for more info!
I will have a booth at the Holiday Market at the North Charleston Convention Center. This event was cancelled last year due to COVID-19. The hours are:
November 19, 2021 – Fri. (10am – 8pm)
November 20, 2021 – Sat. (10am – 6pm)
November 21, 2021 – Sun. (11am – 5pm)
I haven’t seen the admission price for this year on the event website yet, but in the past, tickets were around $5 for access to all three days of the event, and you can usually get a coupon for a discount at the above link a couple of weeks before the event. The new parking garage should make getting in and out a breeze!
I will have hand made items from suncatchers and ornaments up to large mosaic windows, and a special $400 “Seasons” gift set that includes a display stand. Get all of your holiday shopping done before Thanksgiving and be able to really relax for the holidays! Check out some of the items that I will have in my booth at this link. There will even be some hand made pendants / necklaces. I hope to see you there!
I’ve signed up for the Charleston Holiday Market at the Convention Center again for this November. We’ll see what the world looks like by then!
I signed up to have a booth at this small, outdoor, socially distancing and mask wearing event on Dec. 5th. Come on out and see me! All vendors will be offering locally made handcrafted gifts (no mass produced / franchise type vendors).
Be safe – wear a mask!
